Power Rangers Saga: Year One
by rakxm
Summary: The beginning of the Power Rangers saga in the Rakxm-Verse, and with every beginning, there is also like...a beginning to the beginning.


**August 13th, 2000  
Angel Grove  
The Taylor Residence**

Zack Taylor awoke in a cold sweat. The green numbers on his alarm clock flashed 3:27am. He groaned and swung himself into a seated position. For the last three weeks, his nightmares had been waking him up like this. Every night. 3:27. On the dot. Then sitting awake for a few hours with his thoughts. His dreams never made sense. There was always a rushing of something gray. Then yelling. Then a scream. Then darkness. There was no detail, no story, no structure. Just a rushing feeling and loud noises.

He headed down the hallway, stumbling over his little sister's shoes. He'd kick her in the butt for that in the morning. Behind him, a shadow scampered from his room to the bathroom. He opened his fridge and grabbed the jug of orange juice. He yawned as he poured himself a tall glass. His parents didn't like that he had breakfast food this early in the morning, but Zack needed it.

He closed the fridge, the bright light extinguishing. He began sipping his juice, contentedly, until he saw something in the hallway. At first glance, it looked like one of his shoes was shuffling down the hall towards him. He grabbed the butcher's knife out of the knife block and slunk across the kitchen, tiptoeing. As he got closer, the thing turned and glared at Zack. It was definitely not a shoe. It fixated its beady red eyes on Zack, drool glistening in the moonlight.

Before Zack could react, the thing was skittering towards him, on a dozen spindly spider's legs. Zack let out a scream and hurled the knife at the creature. It let out a soft screech as the knife embedded in one of its eyes. But the damned thing kept right on charging. Zack stumbled backwards, tripping over his feet and slamming hard into the counter, collapsing to the ground. The thing leaped the ten feet between the hall and Zack's face, a living nightmare flying at his face. Zack raised his hands to block his face, readying himself for the impact.

Three sickening thwacks make Zack open his eyes. Standing before him was a tall man, probably the tallest Zack had ever seen. He was wearing black leather armor, brandishing a heavy axe with one hand. The thing lie dead on the floor. Zack looked up shakily at the mysterious man in front of him.

"Damned splinters," the man growled, "I thought we got the last of you."

The man turned to leave the house, but Zack held out an arm, croaking slightly. The man either didn't hear him, or he didn't care to listen. He opened the front door of Zack's house and stepped outside. He held a hand over his head, a bracelet on his arm glowed a deep violet color. An electrical energy began to surge around his savior.

"Wait!" Zack yelled, pulling himself to his feet.

The stranger turned just in time to see a fifteen year old black boy charging full speed towards him. As Zack plowed into him, the stranger's body was pulled from the ground, and Zack with him. Now, Zack was not afraid of heights by any means, but finding yourself rocketing hundreds of feet above the ground with nothing to stop you from turning into a bloody smear on the sidewalk was enough for Zack to let out a blood-curdling scream.

"For the love of the gods!" the black clad warrior yelled, "Let go of me! You are not meant to see this!"

Zack clutched tighter to the stranger's leg. He felt the speed picking up, causing his ears to ring. He was unable to hear the screams that left his mouth, but he felt the tears being ripped from his face. Then all was quiet, except for a series of quiet beeps. He tried to open his eyes, but found himself unable.

"...late, Goushi," came a male's voice, youthful and teasing, "I thought you were supposed to be the stoic one."

"I was delayed, Dan," came the voice of Zack's rescuer, "I found a splinter in one of the neighborhoods back in the city."

"I thought we took care of the splinters," came a young woman's voice, "How is it that there are more?"

Zack struggled to open his eyes again, but to no avail.

"Barza and the King are not going to be happy," came yet another unfamiliar male voice, "Outsiders are not supposed to be in the chamber."

"It was not my choice, Boy," Goushi hissed, "The child grabbed hold of me when I tried to return."

Zack found himself being pulled to his feet and seated on a hard stone surface. He now realized he had been blindfolded and his hands were bound.

"Look...uh...Goushi, was it?" Zack stammered, looking back and forth in the darkness, "I think there's been a huge mistake, I was just getting some juice and suddenly there's this little freakshow in my kitchen, then you show up with that axe, man. You can't expect me to just let you walk away like that, can you?"

The blindfold was pulled from his face. Before him stood Goushi, surrounded by three others, all wearing leather armor of varying colors. Zack's eyes fell upon the woman.

"Hey, how you doing? Name's Zack," he put on what he called his "smolder", "What do you say you get me out of here, and I'll take you down to Ernie's?"

The pink clad woman blushed and turned away. The man named Goushi stood imposingly in front of him, glaring down at him.

"You will remember in the future, that is no way to speak to the Princess," Goushi's voice boomed in the cavernous room, "If you should have a tongue to speak with."

The men in blue and yellow grabbed his arms and pinned him down to stone table he sat upon. Goushi leaned down over Zack's face, grabbing his chin and forcing it open. Zack let out a garbled yell as Goushi grabbed hold of his tongue.

"Is this how we treat guests in our home?" came an elderly, yet stern voice.

Zack tried to lean his head to find the voice.

"Torturing children? On the same table that we used to honor our dead upon?"

The three men backed away from Zack, coming to a sort of stance of attention. Zack scrambled to his knees, turning to find the source of the voice.

"Now, then, let us look at you, my boy."

A pair of massive stone doors opened to his left. Behind them stood an elderly man, with a long walking stick and a turban. Alongside him was a handsome man in all red, with a golden crown upon his head. For the first time, Zack noticed the shimmering gold medallion around each of the leather clad strangers. The three men who had been in the room with him fell to their knees, giving praise to their King. The princess gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"So, you must be the one in charge here, then?" Zack asked, stepping off of the table, "I got a few words to sa-"

Zack found himself being pulled to the ground by the blue warrior.

"Have care how you speak to King Geki!" the blue man demanded, "He is the heir to the throne of Yamato."

King Geki held a hand out to Zack, helping him off the ground. He turned Zack to face the others, clapping a hand on his shoulder

"You must forgive the treatment you have had at the hands of my associates," the King's voice boomed through the room, "They are not used to having guests here."

Zack shrugged Geki's hand off of him.

"Not for nothing, ya majesty," Zack grimaced, his wrists chafing from where the ropes were, "But I have no idea what this place is, or what the hell a Yamato is. Can I just go home, please?"

"You are free to go at any time, young man," the old man stammered, "Follow this passageway to the end, there you will find a doorway back to your city."

"That's what I'm talking about," Zack growled, "Thanks, old man. It's been real, but I'm going back to bed, and hopefully get another hour or so of sleep before class in the morning."

Zack pushed past Geki and the old man. He yawned heavily and shuffled down the long hallway. The old man followed him.

"I wonder if you might help me make my way," the old man struggled, "These old bones aren't what they used to be."

"No joke, old man," Zack retorted, "You've got to be at least a thousand."

The old man gave a soft chuckle.

"At least," he nodded, "My family seems a bit rough around the edges, but our home was a dangerous one. Full of dark people and dark times."

Zack gave a disinterested grunt.

"The King is a good man, but he is uncertain of his role. The others adore him. Goushi the Black, whom you had the pleasure of meeting, used to be such a happy soul. Dan the Blue hasn't aged a day since we left home all those years ago. Boy the Yellow is always getting into mischief, like the tigers he would chase in the hills."

"And the princess?" Zack asked, "What's her deal?"

"Ah, yes, Princess Mei, betrothed to King Geki. She came from a neighboring tribe, their marriage was meant to unite the two tribes."

"Where the hell were you people from?" Zack questioned, "Tribes and arranged marriages? Sounds like something out of the Stone Age."

"Round about that," the old man laughed, "And I suppose that brings us to me."

"Oh, we weren't done, then?" Zack grumbled, "Alright, old man, who are you?"

"I am Barza," came the response, "Mage of the 98th King of the Yamato Kingdom."

"Mage? Come on, man," Zack retorted, "Like a wizard? So y'all are just a DnD group then, huh?"

Zack let out a small scoff and continued on his way, leaving Barza alone in the hallway.

"Thanks for the stories, old man," Zack called, waving over his shoulder, "Catch you on the flip."

Zack let out a startled yell as Barza appeared in front of him.

"Oh, my boy," Barza whispered, "these stories may be a bigger part of your life than you ever dreamed possible."

Barza opened the door at the passageway. As Zack walked through the door, Barza bid him farewell. Zack looked out over the waking city of Angel Grove.


End file.
